108 Mr. W. Thompson oa the Crustacea of Ir eland. 



deej)er to the shallow parts to spawn. It is the office of the males 

 to cater for the 5-oung. He has seen them catch minute fish and 

 Gmnmari, bring them to the female and young, and break the fish 

 uj) in jueces for the latter, so as to mudd}' the water in the process. 

 On being disturbed, both sexes gather the young under their tails 

 " as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings," but a singular 

 difference prevails between the sexes with regard to their manner of 

 protecting their progeny. The male on being lifted out of the water 

 retains the young under his tail ; but the female on being captured, 

 wiser than her lord, slaps them from her into their native element 

 with great force, thus producing an effect which is likened by my 

 informant to " a shov,'er of rain upon the surface." He has repeat- 

 edly witnessed this different procedure of the two sexes. 



Mr. R. Ball supplies me with the following note : — " Some years 

 ago I kept a cray-fish for a considerable time in a shallow glass ves- 

 sel, about 20 inches in diameter, and containing about two inches 

 depth of water. This animal gradually acquired great viciousness, 

 and would eagerly attack the fingers of any one who chose to put 

 them within his range, pursuing the intruding digits round the boun- 

 daries of his demesne. After he had been thus a year in my posses- 

 sion, I was one day surprised to see a second cra3'-fish in the vessel, 

 but on taking the intruder in my hand (believing it to have been placed 

 in the vessel by a waggish relative) it proved to be the exuviae of my 

 old friend so perfect as to present his exact counterpart. Instead of 

 his usual boldness, he now exhibited the most remarkable timidity, 

 which continued for three or four days. He was at first quite 

 soft and appeared considerably larger than usual, but gradually grew 

 firmer, and on the fifth day felt to the touch as hard as usual, and 

 advanced with open pincers to the attack of my finger, though evi- 

 dently not without some little doubtfulness of his powers. Before 

 the end of the week he was himself again, came on more boldly than 

 ever and with greater effect, as his weapons were much sharper. He 

 lived nearly two years with me, and during the whole time received 

 no food excepting one or two worms. The water was never changed, 

 but some was occasionally added merely to supply the loss by eva- 

 poration. I had found by previous experiments that cray-fish placed 

 in pans with m.uch water died, while those which were merely co- 

 vered, or in such a manner that they could raise a portion of their 

 bodies above the surface, lived as long as they were taken care of." 



Hotnarns vulgaris, Edw. Crust, t. ii. p. 334. 

 Astacus marinus, Desm. p. 211. pi. 41. f. 1. 

 A, gammarus, Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. iv. p. 14. pi. 11. 



Lobsters are in plenty around the rocky shores of Ireland. From 

 the iron-bound north-eastern coast, great quantities of them are now 

 sent by the regularly plying steamers to Glasgow. About Dublin, 

 Mr. R.Bali informs me that the flounder {Platessa fiesits) is used as 

 bait for the lobster; and at Youghal, that the best plaice (Platessa 

 vulgaris), which would bring a good price at market, are cut up for 

 the same purpose. 



The lightest looking and most tasteful lobster-pot that I have seen 



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